A woman's envy
by Anne-Lilian
Summary: Another one-shot in my FemMerlin series. Merlynn watches while Arthur dances at a feast. Jealousy ensues... Just a bit of harmless Merlynn/Arthur fluff! (exactly 1,000 words!)


**A/N: This thought popped into my head. It's a little one-shot involving Merlynn/Arthur fluff. It's a spin off from my FemMerlin series, but you don't need to have read it. Enjoy! And review!**

**A woman's envy**

Arthur was at another banquet his father insisted on throwing, having a swell time with all the other guests. Where was I, you ask? I was stuck working at said feast. And let me tell you, nobles are filthy, and rude. Except for Morgana, of course; she practically oozed good manners.

Yes, I was a little angry, but I had a good reason. While I was picking up after rich people, and helping them get even more drunk, Arthur was dancing with a pretty noblewoman. She was passing through Camelot, and Uther thought it necessary to throw a feast in her honour.

And Arthur was dancing with her.

Another noble called for a drink, and I dutifully poured the wine in his cup, but I kept my eyes on the dancing couple. I ground my teeth when the woman laughed at something Arthur said. She was pretty.

And Arthur was dancing with her.

The entire night I kept glaring at them, while they danced dance after dance. "I don't think glaring will make them stop," Gwen's voice whispered from beside me.

I glanced over at her and slumped. "I know… I just can't stand the sight of them dancing together…"

"Arthur loves _you_, though, not her. I'm sure he's only doing this because his father asked him to," she consoles.

I slide down onto a chair, not caring if anyone sees me, a servant, slacking off. "But that's just the thing, Gwen. He's always going to be dancing with pretty women, and I'm always going to be standing in the background, serving them. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up…"

Gwen put a comforting arm around my shoulder, but had no words to offer, no reassurance that everything will be alright, because Gwen doesn't lie.

/*/

That night, I was required to help Arthur get ready for bed, as I always did at night. I did little else than clean up the room, pick up any laundry the prince had, and pull back the covers for him. He had apparently had a good time at the banquet, which, in turn, made my mood even fouler. Instead of gently fluffing his pillows I threw them as hard as I could on the bed, and proceeded to pound them into shape.

Arthur stood by the table, and I was aware of his baffled stare on me, so I stopped and took a deep breath to calm down.

"Merlynn, are you alright?" he asked, stepping closer.

I whirled on his, my expression stony. "Perfectly fine, sire."

Arthur frowned. I'd given myself away: I never called Arthur by his title anymore when we were alone. He knew something was up. He came closer, and rested a hand on my arm. I was tempted to shrug it off, but decided against it. The way he ran his calloused hand softly up and down my arm was what undid me. "What's wrong?" he asked softly, never slowing the movement of his hand. His other hand trailed down my arm and eventually twined with my hand, his thumb making soothing circles.

I sighed and rested my head against his chest. I knew it wasn't fair of me to be angry with him, but I couldn't help myself. I was jealous. "It's just… seeing you with her tonight…"

Arthur didn't reply for a second. "You're jealous," he stated, and I could hear the amusement in his voice.

I looked up and glared at him. "It's not funny!"

His smile didn't waver. "It is a little bit."

I pulled away from him and went over to the window. "No it's not! Don't you see, Arthur? I never get to dance with you, I can't even hold your hand in public!" I said, desperation leaking into my voice.

Arthur's arms snaked around my waist, his head resting on my shoulder. "I know it's hard, love. It's not easy for me, either. I didn't want to dance with her, so I just imagined it was you. Unfortunately, that only worked until she laughed. Did you hear her? She sounded like bloody horse!" he joked.

I couldn't help a grin. I turned in his arms and rolled my eyes at him. "You're incorrigible, you know that?"

"Absolutely," he replied with a huge grin, and kissed me softly.

My arms went around his neck of their own accord. We stood there, just kissing for a while, until Arthur started swaying. Pulling back, I shot him a confused look. "What are you doing?"

Arthur didn't answer, instead just pulling one hand from his neck and holding it in his own. "Arthur?" I prompted, completely confused by his behaviour.

"You're right, we can't dance in public. Yet. So until then; may I have this dance, my lady?"

I suppressed a smile. "There's no music," I pointed out.

This time, Arthur rolled his eyes – I was rubbing off on him – and just pulled me closer. He hummed a random melody in my ear. He wasn't entirely on tune, but I didn't care.

Arthur might not have been the most romantic person, and he might have been a prat, but he knew me, and I loved him. And as long as he did things like this every once in a while, I would wait for him… I would always wait for him.

FIN

**A/N: Reviews are like cookies and rainbows and hugs, and they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!  
**

**I'm working on _A woman's love_, I swear. And _Emma _too, promise!  
**


End file.
